Professor Robert Field Reflects on Latest Efforts to Repeal the Affordable Care Act in U.S. News Weekly

August 12, 2013

Professor Robert Field commented on renewed Republican efforts to fight the Affordable Care Act in an Aug. 9 U.S. News Weekly article (print only).

Despite the Supreme Court's validation of the law last summer, Republicans in Congress are gearing up for a renewed effort to repeal and/or defund the Affordable Care Act, Susan Milligan of U.S. News Weekly reported. Such efforts will likely prove futile since many of the program's components are already being implemented, Milligan claimed. For example, on October 1 health exchanges will begin, allowing businesses and individuals to shop for coverage.

Professor Field, an expert in health care law and public policy, speculated that the renewed opposition to the health care plan turned on the general public's misunderstanding of how the law works. "There's a perception that this is really about subsidies for poor people to get insurance," Field said. "It's a misunderstanding of the real goal, which is to enable people who are sick and have pre-existing conditions to get insurance. The people who benefit the most understand the benefits the least."